Singh Waiting For Wind

After Three Days Of A Putting Contest, Vijay Singh Wants Tougher Conditions At The Las Vegas Invitational.

October 16, 1999|By Hunki Yun of The Sentinel Staff

LAS VEGAS - Vijay Singh had the look of a man who was dealt 10 consecutive losing hands.

But it was his performance on another kind of green surface that registered the look of disgust on his face.

``It's a putting contest,'' said Singh, one of the best ball-strikers in the world.

``It's hard to win when it's set up like this.

``Shooting 5 under and being disappointed is an understatement,'' continued Singh, whose ability to hit the ball long and straight has been nullified by the easy conditions. ``You're almost like losing ground here.''

It may have seemed like it, but he really didn't.

Singh, who began Friday trailing Harrison Frazar by one shot, ended it in the same position. But in addition to Frazar, who equaled Singh's 67, he also is chasing defending champion Jim Furyk and Bob May, who both shot 63.

Although he held a share of the lead, May was amazed by the scores.

``You'd think after shooting two 9 unders and a 4 under, you'd be leading by two or three,'' said May, a Las Vegas resident who plays full time on the European tour.

Despite the opinions expressed by the top players, the run of birdies slowed slightly on the third day of the Las Vegas Invitational.

After the first two days, in which Craig Barlow and Tommy Armour III threatened the PGA Tour scoring record, the lowest score of the day was a comparatively pedestrian 63.

Which is not to say scores were high. Only four players were not below par for three rounds, and it took a score of 11 under to play on the weekend, the lowest cut in the history of this 90-hole tournament.

After being spread out over three courses - Las Vegas Country Club, Desert Inn Golf Club and TPC at Summerlin - the first three days, the pros will converge on the TPC for the final two rounds.

With the weather forecast calling for temperatures to drop and the wind finally to kick up, players will be dealt a tougher hand this weekend.

``The defense of these golf courses is the desert wind,'' said May, who is familiar with the prevailing weather patterns in the area.

The wind may signal a change of luck for Singh, whose superior skills from tee to green will give him an advantage.

``I, for one, will be pleased about it,'' he said. ``If it blows what they're forecasting, it's going to be a different course. You need a little more skill to play well.''

NOTES: Victims of the cut included several players who needed to make money this week in their chase to finish the year in the top 125 to keep their tour cards for 2000: Ronnie Black (125th on the money list), Nolan Henke (126th), Pete Jordan (131st), Doug Dunakey (132nd), Neal Lancaster (133nd), P.H. Horgan III (137th) and Paul Stankowski (140th). All are entered in the National Car Rental Golf Classic next week at Disney. ... John Daly used to have three million reasons a year to use Callaway clubs. Now, he has none - so he's not. Daly has Titleist clubs in his bag this week.